A Life Worth Living

Scripture:
"So that they may take hold of that which is life indeed." 1 Timothy 6:1

Observation:
The burden of religion is that it spends all of its energy trying to tie people down with rituals, rules, and regulations. It approaches life totally from a stand point of what not to do. I struggle with that for a couple of reasons. First, I am a rebel. I do not like being told not to do something. The instant I am told no, the struggle within me starts. It is one of those things about me that I do not know whether it is right or wrong, I just know that it is and I have to manage it. The second reason that I struggle with this is that it puts me in a defensive or reactive position. It indicates to me that I am just trying not to mess up. I can't live life that way. God has not wired me for it. I have to be moving. I have to be taking ground by focusing on what I can do and doing it well.

There are definitely disciplines of faith that require me to submit to God's desire for me to live a holy life, but I have found that those things come into alignment in my life when I charge after the things God has ordained as worthy of pursuit. Not when I sit back and just try to be good or not mess things up.

Application:
From the text, I see a few things that Paul is saying go after. First, I am to pursue submission to those in authority over me. The first couple of verses say that I am to regard those over me as being worthy of all honor. This is definitely counter to today's culture. Many times it is tempting to look at those in authority only from the perspective of what they can do for me or to look at them and resent their authority. But in God's economy his rewards belong to those who not only submit, but faithfully serve those placed in authority above them. I need to approach work determined to be spilled out for the success of those given authority over me.

Second, I am to pursue contentment. Throughout verses 3-10, Paul issues warnings about desiring riches. He does not condemn being rich or finding success in life. Actually in verse 6 he says that godliness is a source of great gain. What he goes after is the pursuit of wealth or love of money. The pursuit of gain knows no bounds. It will consume anything in its path. I have seen this first hand over my lifetime, rarely does a person reach a limit where they say they have enough. I need to learn to be content with where I am and with what I have. That does not mean I am resolved to staying put or not ever advancing, but I feel that God's desire is for me to work hard, live an honorable life, be content with His provision, and trust Him to provide my gain.

Third, I am to pursue the Kingdom agenda. The Kingdom agenda is righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. The goal of the Kingdom agenda is to share what Paul refers to in verse 12 as the good confession which is the gospel of Christ. God sits ready to be reconciled with the world. He has given me an agenda that is worthy of pursuit and rich in reward. My life would be radically altered if I woke up each day and determined within my heart to pursue the items listed above. The world would become unrecognizable from its current state if I led others to do the same.

Finally, I am to pursue good works. My faith is given to me by grace. That means there is nothing I can do to earn nor is there anything I can do to lose it. That said, a true conversion is always accompanied by a great desire to do something good. It is tempting to hold onto what God has given me, but that is not His desired purpose for His gifts. God wants to take the blessings he has given me and use them to help others. God's heart is for the needy. The orphaned, the widowed, the oppressed, the forgotten, and the abused sit close to the heart of God and He expects me to pursue His heart. There is growing inside of me a great discontent with the abuse of children and women world wide caused by dead-beat dads and greedy men; especially in Guatemala and Honduras. Each day, thousands of kids are either killed or sold as slaves to the underground sex trade which plagues our world. This is something I should pursue with all that is within me.

Prayer:
I want to start with the end in mind. I pray that you move upon my life to do whatever is required to bring relief to the lives of those close to Your heart. I desire more than anything to live life in a manner that will produce fruit that can bring life to the forgotten people of this world. Place the images of these people on the forefront of my mind. Let me see them in all that I do. Outside of my desire to be close to You, may my desire to help others consume all that is left of me. I am selfish by nature and I confess that I am powerless to overcome that. Help me make the goal of everything I do become seeing Your compassion reach those who have never received compassion from anyone.